The hockey players of Turkmenistan's national team secured their second major victory at the ongoing 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China. Following a convincing win in their opening game against Macau, with a score of 26-0, the team coached by Ilyas Veliyev and Guvanchmyrat Jepbarov defeated India with a crushing score of 19-1 (4:1, 6:0, 9:0).

Hockey in India originated in the last century in Shimla, a small hill station in the northwestern part of the country, where two Chinese brothers began making skates that are still used today. Due to a lack of accessible equipment, early teams received skate blades from Shimla and attached them to military boots. Roller skates and field hockey sticks were also used. To make pucks, locals cut thick rubber heels from military boots into circular shapes. Goalkeepers wore field hockey pads but had no helmets. Other players also lacked helmets, knee pads, or elbow pads. Despite injuries caused by the absence of protective gear, the game continued to gain popularity in the region.

After India’s Ice Hockey Association was accepted as a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on April 27, 1989, Indian hockey players gained the right to play international matches. However, despite this membership, India’s national team debuted internationally only in 2009 at the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), where they finished last, in eighth place.

Two years later, Indian hockey players suffered their worst defeat to date, losing 2-39 to Kuwait team at the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia in Kuwait City. On March 21, 2012, however, the Indian national team achieved their first international victory at the IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia held in Dehradun (India), defeating Macau 5-1.

At the Asian Games in Harbin, India started poorly, losing 0-30 to Hong Kong. However, in their next game against Turkmenistan, they scored their first goal of the Asian Winter Games 2025just two minutes into play after a shot by Stanzin Angchok.

It took Turkmenistan only 13 seconds to equalize. Arslan Geldimyradov scored the tying goal and went on to score four more goals during the match, becoming the second player from Turkmenistan to achieve a penta-trick at these Asian Winter Games. In the previous game against Macau, Baymyrat Baymyradov had also scored five goals. Against India, Baymyradov added three more goals to his tally, bringing his total to eight across two games. Begench Dovletmyradov followed closely with seven goals after scoring a hat trick against India.

Other standout performances included doubles from Arslan Nuryyev and Alexander Vakhovsky. Novruz Baykhanov, Erkin Kakabayev, Ovezguly Esenov and Nazar Orazov each scored one goal.

After this game, Turkmenistan’s hockey players tied Hong Kong at six points atop Group C but trailed slightly due to goal difference. India and Macau have yet to earn any points.

The decisive match for Group C’s winner—who will earn a spot in the quarterfinals—will take place between Turkmenistan and Hong Kong in the final round. The losing team will play for 9th-10th place against the runner-up from Group B.

The battle for medals at the Asian Winter Games 2025 hockey tournament involves 14 teams divided into three groups for the preliminary stage. The strongest Group A includes teams from China, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Thailand and Chinese Taipei. These teams are guaranteed spots in the quarterfinals due to tournament regulations. Group B consists of teams from Bahrain, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan and Singapore. Group C features teams from Hong Kong (China), India, Macau (China) and Turkmenistan.

The winners of Groups B and C will face off to determine who advances to the quarterfinals as the 7th seed and who as the 8th seed. The remaining teams from these groups will compete for places 9th through 14th.

In Group A matches held earlier: Kazakhstan defeated Chinese Taipei 17-0; South Korea beat Japan 5-2; Thailand lost to China 0-8. Today’s results included: Japan losing to Kazakhstan 1-4; Thailand suffering a heavy defeat against South Korea (0-10).

Heading into the final round of Group A matches, Kazakhstan leads with a perfect record of 12 points. South Korea is second with 11 points. The top spot will be decided on February 10 when Kazakhstan faces South Korea directly.

In Group B, the winner will be determined on February 9 after matches between Kyrgyzstan vs. Singapore and Bahrain vs. Kuwait. Three teams are vying for first place and a quarterfinal spot—Kyrgyzstan (5 points), Kuwait (4 points), and Singapore (3 points). Bahrain has no chance of advancing and will play for 13th-14th place against the loser of Macau vs. India from Group C.

Quarterfinals are scheduled for February 11. Semifinals will take place on February 13. The bronze medal match and final are set for February 14.